Glow Worms: Dazzling Photos by Shaun Jeffers

Shaun Jeffers, a photographer based in Auckland, New Zealand, spent a year exploring and capturing the beauty of the 30 million-year-old Ruakuri Cave in the Waitomo area.

“Illuminating the darkness in streaks of turquoise light, this ethereal New Zealand cave is lit up by thousands of glow worms.

The photographer heard the glow worms are notoriously difficult to photograph after he moved to New Zealand in 2013. To take the challenging photographs he had to submerge himself and his tripod in cold water for up to eight hours a day.

The luminous glow worms, called Arachnocampa luminosa, are unique to New Zealand and emit a phosphorescent glow in order to catch prey and attract mates.”